Just For Japanese Watch Lovers — Interview With Seiya Kobayashi
Editor’s Note:
SeiyaJapan.com has built a worldwide reputation for service over the past seven years. It’s one of the top places to order Japan-only Seiko, Alba, Citizen, Casio, and Orient watches.
Most first-rate watches Japanese companies make, like Grand Seiko, are manufactured exclusively for their domestic market. This, combined with barriers of language and culture, prevent most vendors from offering the best Japanese watches to the world. SeiyaJapan.com is one of the few that does. It’s a virtual store run by Seiya Kobayashi out of his high-rise condo in the heart of Tokyo. As his customers around the planet know, he’s earnest and dedicated — a total pro. We at gmtplusnine.com are honored to share an exclusive interview with Seiya-san.
Enjoy!
Japanese school kids really study hard, and depend on their watches to keep time during tests, to make it to juku (cram school) and after school clubs without being late. Do you remember your watch in junior high school and high school?
A Seiko digital watch my father bought for me. I lost it. 
You wrote on SeiyaJapan.com that your father had many watches. You told a deep story about his Grand Seiko.
When I was a child, Japan was a poor country. Most Japanese owned only one wristwatch. But my father, who worked for a large Osaka-based pharmaceutical company, loved watches so much that he owned many. However, all of them were of Swiss manufacture, as no high-quality Japanese watches were being produced at that time.
When Seiko released its 1964 Grand Seiko model (the year of my wife’s birth), my father rushed to buy it. I remember him showing me the watch and saying, “Now we have a real, high quality, Japanese manufactured watch.” Although I didn’t understand what he meant at the time, I never forgot the impression the golden lion on the caseback of his watch made on me. Of course, the Grand Seiko became my father’s favorite watch and it kept perfect time for more than thirty years.
However, when my father was hospitalized some years ago, the watch stopped for the first time. He asked me to have it repaired, and I did. However, before I was able to get his watch home from the repair shop and back to him, he passed away.
Can you remember other watches your father liked?
Seiko Bellmatic and Cyma. My elder brother has the Cyma.
Did he wear Grand Seiko as his everyday watch?
Yes. He did.
When did you move to Tokyo?
After I graduated from university, I moved to Tokyo in 1984 to work for a company. I am a computer engineer here in Tokyo — I can see the site of ancient Kameido Seikosha from the high-rise condo where we live in.
Do you like Tokyo?
Yes. I like Tokyo very much! A lot of shichiya (pawn shops) in Tokyo, very interesting to check the watches there.
You wrote:
Before going to work in the computer industry, I was a TV commercial producer for over 10 years. I even played a part in producing one of Seiko’s year-end TV commercial specials (something like a Christmas special in the West) that garnered an award here in Japan.
Do you remember the watch the TV commerical was for?
Seiko Business Timing (pictured below).
What was your favorite watch when you worked as producer? Why?
A Seiko Alba military style that cost about 4,000 Yen (about $35 US). It was a tough and inexpensive watch. The watch worked soaking in the onsen (hot springs), and worked in temperatures of -5 degrees Fahrenheit in Hokkaido.
How did you begin SeiyaJapan.com?
Seiyajapan.com started in June of 2001, but I started selling watches privately in June of 2000 on eBay.com.
Do you remember the first watch SeiyaJapan.com sold? Do you remember the customer?
I don’t remember the first watch SeiyaJapan.com sold, but I remember the first watch that I sold on eBay. The buyer’s nickname was “ashreff.” I sold him a 7S26 caliber Seiko Military watch in June of 2000.
Editor’s note:
Seiya-san (right) is pictured below wearing a 7S26 caliber Seiko Military watch in Tokyo with Seiko Citizen Watch Forum founder/owner Wayne Lee (left), visiting Japan in 2003 on business, showing off his beloved Grand Seiko. Photo: Copyright © Wayne Lee.
You get to hold many nice watches in your hands. What are some impressive ones you’ve sold?
Grand Seikos.
Will you become an authorized Seiko dealer? Will you open a store in Tokyo?
No, I don’t have a plan for them at this moment.
Why don’t more Japanese vendors sell/send watches to foreigners? Only Seiya-san and Higuchi-san . . .
Because it is not profitable. Speaking English, money transfers, cultural differences in how we do trade, etc., are so time consuming and challenging for Japanese when dealing with people abroad.
Do you own any Swiss watches? Do you want any Swiss watches?
Yes. I have Eterna Kontiki 1958. But I don’t want more because my wife will kill me! 
Do you like G-Shocks?
Yes. They are very tough and reasonable.
What watch do you wear every day?
It depends. I update two watches Seiko 4S15 (pictured below) & G-Shock (above).
What are your hobbies?
I have no life! My entire life is just for watch lovers around the world!
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April 9th, 2007 at 4:13 am
Thanks Seiya-san and Bryan for that interview. Seiya, I saw the Parker 51 fountain pen in the picture with your father’s watches. Did the Parker belong to your father or do you also collect fountain pens?
April 9th, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Petew-san,
From the name on the pen, I believe it belonged to his father.
Cheers,
Thomas
April 10th, 2007 at 5:27 am
Hi Seiya,
I loved your interview and wondered which little dot I was in your world-wide sea of customers? There were a lot fewer when I put it there! Here is one of my favorite G-Shock masterpieces that Seiya bought for me. Cooool.
With warm wishes from sunny Los Angeles,
Jim
April 10th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Thanks Thomas….I couldn’t read what was written on the pen!
April 11th, 2007 at 3:28 am
Thanks GMT+9 for this great interview. I’ve know Seiya-san for several years now and have obtained quiet a lot of great Casio G-Shock watches from him. A really true gentleman and together with Katsu Higuchi-san for me a real hero.
I think this is my favorite one I got from Seiya:
I always love doing business with him and I hope he will be helping us for a real long time in good health.
Jim,
What’s that G-Shock model you have, it looks like a DW-004 case with a DW-6900 module…
Kind regards from the Netherlands,
Sjors
April 12th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Hi Sjors,
You’re right about the DW-004 casing, but the module No. 2226 is different than the DW-6900’s 1289 (at least that’s the module in my coral-colored France ‘98 Fifa World Cup DW-6900, also obtained from the resourceful Seiya– but maybe there are other DW-6900 modules over the years?)
You can see a great similarity of design in the two models, including the cool white dials that I love so much, but with several notable differences:
1. The “Vice Eye” DW-004 has “rear-projection” illumination, if you know what I mean, so the “transparent” numbers and letters light up against a dark background rather than the other way around, making for a cool and unusual effect. Both watches turn on illumination by pushing the “G” button below the face, but the DW-004 also has auto-EL, triggered by tilting your wrist. I believe it is one of the first of this type, though I am anything but a walking encyclopedia on these matters (like you and Bryan!).
2. Changing modes causes an animated reconstruction of each succeeding screen, rather than the usual all at once transition. A line of dashes appears first - - - - - -, then it multiplies into several lines, and those morph into the display. Kind of a rolling action and then all of a sudden ST 00:00 00 & there you go.
3, The chronographic registers are a mirror image arrangement of the 6900’s– LRG-sm-sm vs. sm-sm-LRG.
It is an exceptionally strking design, with the highest contrast dial I have seen in any G because the lcd is much whiter than usual. I have never seen one posted on any of the forums, so I’d guess it is a rather rare bird. I bought it cold turkey, just because I liked its picture, and only learned of all the french pastry when it arrived. One of those nice watches that exceeded all expectations by multiples, and became a total winner.
Thanks for your interest Sjors. A pleasure to hear from you.
Jim
April 13th, 2007 at 11:30 am
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your nice comments in your reply and e-mail. I actually didn’t look good at the display. It’s the same display as found on the GL-100V models. Indeed the 2226 module. The Auto Light Switch should have pointed me to this module. Actually I have not a very good memory and my website is my own Encyclopedia. There is so much to know about G-Shocks, that it’s impossible for me to remember it all.
The “rear projection” backlight is not seen much on G-Shocks. If I’m correct, it is found on one Frogman Real Black(?), the Silver Collection models (with a mirror face LCD) and the GL-110 models.
Kind Regards,
Sjors
April 13th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Great read, thanks Seiya and GMT +9!
April 14th, 2007 at 11:24 am
I enjoyed the interview and was interested to hear which watches Seiya-san wears on a daily basis.
I purchased many G-shocks from Seiya-san and in my humble opinion there is no one, here or anywhere, I would rather buy from. He is a true gentleman who has gone out of his way to help me find that elusive G-shock. Over the years he has treated me more like a friend than a customer.
Respectfully,
Tom
May 16th, 2007 at 9:26 am
[…] Do you know why so few Japanese dealers sell to overseas customers? Only you and Seiya-san ship watches outside Japan. How come more Japanese sellers do not want to sell overseas? […]